Questions
by earth warrior
Summary: “Noah, did it ever occur to you to just go with things for once, rather than fighting them the whole way?” Izzy asks. It catches me off guard for a minute. “No,” I answer, realizing as I say it, that I’ve never spoken anything more absolutely true.


I wrote this out of boredom. It's not too long but whatever. I hope you guys enjoy it!

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My name is Noah. 16. Smartest kid in my grade. Not gay, despite popular opinion. Book- lover. Sarcastic. Introverted.

That's me in a nutshell. Pretty simple, right? Right. Didn't expect that, did you? Usually, when people ask 'right?' that means the answer is 'wrong.' Did I mention I have a tendency to over- analyze things? That right there, my friends, is called a rhetorical question. Ya gotta love 'em.

My life is pretty normal. Nothing too tragic, other than my reputation going down the drain after that stupid TV show I went on called Total Drama Island. Ever heard of it? Most people have. And everyone who comes in contact with me always says, "Hey, like, you're that, like, gay guy on TDI, like, right?" And then I'd always say, "Yeah, I would _totally _go for someone who's almost as much of a nerdy screw- up as I am." And then they'd say, "So it is true!" And then I'd palm-face at their sheer stupidity.

Speaking of TDI, I haven't heard much from any of the show's contestants. I probably should be wondering if any of the couples are still together, but I doubt it. Call it pessimism, but these things just don't tend to last long.

_Ring! Ring!_

Uh- oh. I lean over towards the phone in my bedroom. Check caller ID. Not a number I've ever seen before. Should I pick it up? I'm thinking no, but for some reason I answer the phone anyway. I can be so stupid sometimes.

"HIII!!!" Something in that hyper, annoyingly high- pitched voice is familiar.

"Izzy?" Please say no, please say no…

"Yep! Hiya, Noah. I just called to say hi, but I already did, so uh… hi!"

I pull the phone away from my ear for a moment to make sure I haven't gone deaf yet. I'm not sure if she has the volume on her phone turned up all the way, or if she's just naturally this loud. "Uh, Izzy, how did you get my phone number?" _Even better question, Noah. Do you really want to know the answer?_

"Oh that's easy," she chirped, "I asked your mom." Oh, that makes sense, I suppose. She asked my- wait she did _what?!_

"You did _what?!_" There's no answer. I try again, "Izzy!" Still no reply, "Izzy, where are you?"

"I'm right behind you, Noah."

What is that supposed to mean? "Huh? What are you talking about?" I feel someone tap my shoulder. Turn around. "Just a second, Izzy, I'm on the phone with-" Wow, I really can be stupid sometimes. I look from the phone in my hands, to the red- haired girl in my bedroom, and back again. "Okay, I'll just ask the obvious here, first. What are you doing in my bedroom?"

"Well, you see," Maybe I just have more intuition than most people, but something in the way she began that sentence tells me that all rationality has just been thrown out the window. "My Uncle Joe, who just got out of jail yesterday for stealing five hundred tons of glitter glue- he was _really _hungry at the time- came to my house. He had like 15 alligators with him that he got from a local hobo and my mom was all like," Izzy does her best impression of an irritating parental figure, "'Oh no, you'll be a bad influence on my dear little Elizabeth,'" she stops her story telling to go into a fit of hysterical laughing. "Anyway, she asked me if I had any friends whose house I could stay at for a couple hours while she tried to catch all the alligators before they ate our neighbors. And I said, 'Sure mom, I can just go to Noah's place!' So here I am!"

I think I lost a few hundred brain cells just listening to that. I really need to stop asking Izzy questions I don't want to know the answer to. "So, Izzy," I begin awkwardly. What exactly am I supposed to say to that? "What do you want to do?" The minute the words are out of my mouth I immediately regret them. Her green eyes light up with a sort of fire that I've only ever seen in her. She grabs my arm and before I know it, we're out the door and racing down the street.

I have nothing but questions on my mind. Why is it that every time I'm around Izzy, I don't seem to really know anything anymore? With everyone else, things are straight-forward. With her, all questions just lead to more questions and I end up having fewer answers than I had before. "Izzy, where are we going?"

"Noah, did it ever occur to you to just go with things for once, rather than fighting them the whole way?" she asks. It catches me off guard for a minute.

"No," I answer, realizing, as I say it, that I've never spoken anything more absolutely true.

Izzy nods knowingly, "Exactly, so for once in your life, just trust someone other than yourself."

"Like you?"

"Why not?" I could answer that question a million ways. Why not? Maybe because she's insane. Or because I'm the only one I can rely on. Everyone else is a variable, and variables are faulty and unreliable. I like the first answer better, though.

She stops abruptly, and I don't have a chance to stop. Her hold is still on my wrist, so I end up being yanked hard. I fall backwards and land in the dirt. She lets go and I just lay there on my back for a while, trying to catch my breath from the sprint. I sit up to see where we are. It's a forest filled with all the foresty type things you'd find in said forest. But something about the ground isn't right though. Oh, maybe because it_ disappears a few feet away_. I crawl over to the place where the ground disappears- and immediately wish I hadn't.

"Izzy," I have to swallow several times before continuing, "We're on the edge of a cliff, I hope you realize this."

"Yep," she peers down at the water below; a devious smile appears on her face. I suddenly know what she's planning.

I jump up and grab her arm, "Izzy don't you _dare _try anything stupid."

"It's not stupid; I've done this a million times before!" She rolls her eyes at me.

I sigh and pull her down with me, "Sit down." She frowns but obeys reluctantly. "Izzy, I think you're the strangest girl to ever walk the planet." Izzy doesn't respond, just looks out at the setting sun in front of us. I take a deep breath and say the words I never thought I would, "But for some reason, that just makes me like you all the more."

"So does this mean you don't want to jump off the cliff?" My silence is enough of an answer. "Noah?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I like you, too."

My name is Noah. For me there are no answers, only questions. And you know what? Somehow, I'm okay with that.


End file.
